Edward John "Teddy" Beckett, 5th Baron Grimthorpe (born 20 November 1954), is a British

peer Peer may refer to: Sociology * Peer, an equal in age, education or social class; see Peer group * Peer, a member of the peerage; related to the term "peer of the realm" Computing * Peer, one of several functional units in the same layer of a ne ...

."Grimthorpe, 5th Baron", ''

Who's Who ''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a group of not ...

'', London: A & C Black (2012)
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Retrieved 15 October 2012. He was racing manager to the late

Prince Khalid Abdullah A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

who died in January 2021.

Family background and early life

Lord Grimthorpe is the elder son of the late

Christopher Beckett, 4th Baron Grimthorpe Brigadier Christopher John Beckett, 4th Baron Grimthorpe OBE, DL (16 September 1915 – 6 July 2003), was a soldier, company director, landowner and peer of the realm. Personal life Christopher John Beckett was born 16 September 1915, eldest ...

, and Elizabeth, Lady Grimthorpe, formerly Lady Elizabeth Lumley, daughter of

Lawrence Lumley, 11th Earl of Scarbrough Lawrence Roger Lumley, 11th Earl of Scarbrough, (27 July 1896 – 29 June 1969) was a British Conservative politician and British Army general. Background Lumley was the son of Brigadier General Osbert Lumley (1857-1923), youngest child and so ...

, of

Lumley Castle Lumley Castle is a 14th-century quadrangular castle at Chester-le-Street in the North of England, near the city of Durham and a property of the Earl of Scarbrough. It is a Grade I listed building. It is currently a hotel. History It is named a ...

, County Durham. He became 5th Baron Grimthorpe on the death of his father in 2003. Lord Grimthorpe's father, the 4th Baron, was a keen horseman with a reputation as a shrewd gambler.Mottershead, Lee. "Death of Lord Grimthorpe at age of 87", ''

Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of ...

'', 11 July 2003
Link to article on The Free Library
Retrieved 15 October 2012. He was a member of the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, a ...

and a director of

Thirsk Racecourse Thirsk Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England. The course is a left handed oval of about 1 mile 2 furlongs with a 3 furlong finishing straight and a 6 furlong chute. The present course opened ...

, and kept a number of horses in training. His stud at Westow Hall, which he re-established in 1965, was responsible for breeding Mrs McArdy, winner of the

1,000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

in 1977."Newly Elected Members of the Jockey Club & Appointments for 2008"

The Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the breed registry for Thoroughbred horses in the United States and Canada. It is dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing and fulfills that mandate by serving many segments of the industry through its s ...

, 10 December 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2012.Carroll, Steve
"Wonderhorse Frankel rules even for York’s Lord"
''

The Press ''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One comm ...

'', 16 December 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2012. Grimthorpe's grandfather, the 3rd Baron, won the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs (3 ...

with Fortina in 1947. The present Lord Grimthorpe has been a keen racegoer from an early age. In an interview with the ''

'' he remembered having two shillings with his mother on Larkspur to win the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

in 1962.Downe, Alastair. "Lord Grimthorpe Interview", ''

'', 23 July 2010
Link to article on The Free Library
Retrieved 15 October 2012. As a schoolboy he saw

Brigadier Gerard Brigadier Gerard is the comedic hero of a series of 17 historical short stories, a play, and a major character in a novel by the British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Brigadier Etienne Gerard is a Hussar officer in the French Army during the Napoleon ...

's only loss, to

Roberto The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

in 1972. Grimthorpe was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (sc ...

. Grimthorpe served as a page at the wedding of

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Edward were first cousins through their fathers, King George VI, and Prince George, Duke ...

, to Katharine Worsley on 8 June 1961.

Racing manager

Lord Grimthorpe had a successful career as a bloodstock agent, working for more than twenty years at the British Bloodstock Agency, whom he joined as his first employment, and buying horses on behalf of, among others, the

Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and ha ...

.Hotspur (McGrath, J. A.)
"Frankel faces his biggest test yet in the Juddmonte International at York on Wednesday"
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', 19 August 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012. In 1999 he became

's racing manager, succeeding Grant Pritchard-Gordon.Scott, Brough. "The Modest Prince", ''

'', 13 June 2010
Link to article on The Free Library
Retrieved 15 October 2012. He is responsible for overseeing the Prince's worldwide

Juddmonte Farms Juddmonte Farms is a horse breeding farm, owned until his death on 12th January 2021 by Prince Khalid bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. National Thoroughbred Racing Association"Juddmonte Farms, Inc.", profile. Retrieved October 16, 2007. Overview ...

racing operation, which in 2011 involved 700-800 horses across ten farms in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States, and about 250 horses in training with 13 different trainers.Owen, David
"Breeding: it’s all about the pedigree"
''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'', 3 June 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2012. He has been widely praised for his contribution to a lengthy period of considerable success for the Juddmonte operation. In 2003 Prince Khalid had 78 winners in Britain and 58 in France, making him champion owner in both those countries; he also finished third in the American owners' championship that year. The prince was British flat racing's champion owner again in 2010, with 74 winners and prize money of more than £3 million; and he took the title once more in 2011, when he had 63 winners and won prize money totaling more than £3.4 million. Lord Grimthorpe was elected to the

in December 2007 and in 2011 he was appointed chairman of the race committee at

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 35 ...

. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to t ...

in 2023.

Personal life

Lord Grimthorpe married Carey Elisabeth McEwen in 1992. The marriage was dissolved in 2009. They have one son, Hon. Harry Maximillian Beckett, born 28 April 1993. Lord Grimthorpe married Emma Benyon (née Villiers, and the former wife of Conservative Party politician

Richard Benyon Richard Henry Ronald Benyon, Baron Benyon (born 21 October 1960) is a British politician who has served as Minister of State for Biosecurity, Marine and Rural Affairs since 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Member of Parliamen ...

) on 14 June 2013. The horseracing trainer

Ralph Beckett Ralph Michael Beckett (born June 1971) is a British racehorse trainer who specialises in training horses for Flat racing. He is based at Kimpton, Hampshire. Beckett comes from an aristocratic racing background. He is the grandson of Ralph Becket ...

is Lord Grimthorpe's cousin.Smurthwaite, Tony
"Beckett puts his faith in an unlikely hero"
''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'', 25 June 2001. Retrieved 15 October 2012.

Arms

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimthorpe, Edward Beckett, 5th Baron 1954 births Living people

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

Deputy Lieutenants of Cambridgeshire Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom People educated at Harrow School